Q&A WITH LEON WILLETT
Interview by Joseph W. Bat
Tell us a bit about yourself. Where you are from, your musical background, and your influences.
I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. As a child and teen I studied some classical, and then jazz guitar. In my late teens I moved to Salford, Manchester, to study music composition at Salford University. After my degree, I relocated to Barcelona, Spain and furthered my studies under symphonic composer Joan Carlos Sender. My musical influences lie mainly in the first half of the twentieth century, and some of the late romantics. Of course, I'm greatly influenced by the film composers of our time, particularly John Williams, James Newton Howard, and the late Jerry Goldsmith.
How did you get involved with Dreamfall? And at what point in development?
I became involved in the last year of development. I had been researching games, trying to find one with a premise and look that appealed to me (I was hoping to find a game with a good story, and a cinematic approach). When I came across Dreamfall I decided I wanted a shot at scoring it, so I composed a short demo based on what I had read, and some screenshots I had found. I sent this off to Morten Sørlie, the Audio Director at Funcom, and we took it from there. I gave a small meeting on my approach to scoring at their Oslo HQ, and started working a couple of weeks later.
What would you say was the musical blueprint for Dreamfall? Was there much freedom to compose?
I enjoyed a great deal of freedom in terms of style. I felt a tale of these proportions really needed a broad, Hollywood approach, and I was given the freedom to pursue that. The main thing was to produce something that was in tune with the progression of the story.
Was there any discussion to use material or themes from the first game?
Not really. I think it seemed to everyone that new themes were needed to express the new premise. Also, the Dreamfall took a different, more cinematic approach to story telling than the first game, and the music needed to reflect that.
How much music was there and how long did you have to complete the music?
By the end of the project I had composed and orchestrated over 80 minutes of music, and just over 70 minutes ended up in the game. I believe I was actively working on the score for a total of 10 months.
Video games are slowly moving into the live orchestra realm. Do you think this is the future or is there still room without it.
Live orchestras are definitely the way to go. Synthesized orchestral performances are useful, especially on a budget, but there is not--and there never will be--anything that can approach the emotion conveyed by a live orchestra. The effect on the gameplay experience is quite tremendous. If you've played any of the recent titles with scores recorded in Prague, Seattle, or even Los Angeles, you'll know the exhilarating feeling the live orchestral performances lend to the experience. And if you compare the cost of recording an orchestra with, say, what developers spend on graphics or animation, I feel it's a very worthwhile investment considering what you get out of it.
Was Dreamfall considered to be performed by an orchestra?
Yes, this was discussed at length and detailed estimates were drawn. Unfortunately though, we were ultimately unable to go down that road. It is certainly my aspiration to do my part in bringing game music on a par with film music. There are many already doing this, but it's up to all of us in game audio/music to elevate the production values of our work to this new standard.
What was the biggest challenge working on Dreamfall?
For me the biggest challenge was making the score cohesive while adhering to the unprecedented variety of settings in the game. Dreamfall explores new territory in that it rolls sci-fi and magical fantasy into one experience. So the challenge was to have the music stay true to the story and settings, without sounding like two different scores. In the end, I'm very happy with the result, and I'd say that travelling between the worlds of Arcadia and Stark feels musically seamless.
What aspect of Dreamfall are you most proud of?
As a game, I'm most proud of Dreamfall's awe-inspiring plot. It makes me proud to have contributed to a title that is really pushing the boundaries in that respect. Honestly, i feel the story is better than most films I've seen this year. As for my own contribution, I'm proud that I managed to come up with some memorable themes, like the hospital scene, Kian's theme, the main title, etc. I spend a tremendous amount of time and thought on those simple melodies.
Will there be an official soundtrack release of Dreamfall?
Yes, certainly! Funcom has just officially released the soundtrack. It's available for purchase at Funcom's online store, and will soon be released on apple iTunes.
How do you specifically approach video game composing?
I try to avoid falling into the trap of simply looking at the setting, and coming up with music that is appropriate. I try to take a step back and think about what gamers will be feeling when they experience that scene for the first time; what will be on their mind; how the scene fits into the plot--those kinds of considerations. To take Dreamfall as an example: it's not the same to take Zoë for a walk around her home town Casablanca in chapter 1, where all that's on your mind is tonight's party, as it is in chapter 11 where you've basically saved the world and believe your best friend is dead. So, in answer to your question, my approach is to make sure the music is plot-sensitive, as it would be in a film.
What makes adventure games different musically than other games? Are you interested in games other than adventure?
Music is very important in adventure games, or any fictional tale for that matter, where the idea is to sweep someone off their feet and immerse them in another reality. To quote John Williams, "only music can make the audience believe what they see. Only music can make fantasy, reality." I'm interested in any kind of fiction where the premise is larger than life. It could be a thriller, like Dreamfall, or it could be a fairy tale, or a game about fighting the forces of evil.
Are there any upcoming projects you are currently working on or attached to?
Yes, I'm now working on a space epic, Lost Eden. It's Funcom's latest addition to the award-winning Anarchy Online series. In this expansion, the conflict between Clan and Omni-Tek over the resources found on planet Rubi-Ka spreads into orbit. It will be fun to go all-out and score some huge space battles! There will also be some very scary scenes where you exploring the interior of an organic alien spaceship, which I'm looking forward to.
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